Canada takes S. Korea to WTO over beef ban

SEOUL, April 10 (Yonhap) -- Canada has called on the World Trade Organization
(WTO) to review South Korea's current import ban on its beef which it claims
violates international trade rules, the Canadian embassy here said Friday.
Seoul's ban on Canadian beef has been in place since May 2003 after the country
confirmed its first mad cow case, with bilateral talks on the resumption of
imports making little headway.
The diplomatic mission said the action is being taken because Seoul has not
clarified when it will open its market despite a range of scientific evidence
supporting the safety of Canadian beef and cattle.
While the Canadian government has decided to resolve this long standing issue by
taking the matter to the WTO, Ottawa hopes the dispute can settled without taking
further action, it added.
The announcement comes after Ottawa's Trade Minister Stockwell Day said a
"consultation" session has been requested to find middle ground on the sensitive
trade issue.
Under WTO dispute settlement arrangement, a consultation is the first step to
work out differences in regards to a trade dispute, with talks to begin within 30
days of the request being submitted. If no understanding is reached the matter
will be forwarded to the dispute settlement panel that will make a ruling.
Canada reported 15 cases of mad cow disease so far although Ottawa counters that
it has received the same "controlled risk" classification from the Paris-based
World Organization for Animal Health as the United States that technically allows
the country to export beef with almost no restrictions if certain cattle parts
are properly removed in the butchering process.
The brain-wasting cattle illness, officially called bovine spongiform
encephalopathy, is suspected of causing the fatal variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease in humans. Scientists said BSE is most likely caused by cattle being
given protein-based feed made from other mammals.
South Korea lifted its ban on U.S. beef last year after imposing a blanket ban in
late 2003.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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